


Refining the white gold

by Metalsappho



Series: Metall/u/rgy [14]
Category: Metall/u/rgy
Genre: Afterschool romance, Dense as a bag of rocks, F/F, Flights of fancy, UST, highschool life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-28
Updated: 2016-05-05
Packaged: 2018-05-22 19:27:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6091591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Metalsappho/pseuds/Metalsappho
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The emotional adventures of a haughty tsundere, coming to terms with what she feels.</p><p>(Place in the timeline: near-future)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Wrong assumptions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stuck in a group assignment with her archirival Iridosmine, Electrum is not going to stay still in the face of her opponent's provocations. Iridosmine however has a completely different interpretation of the situation.

Electrum was in a joyless mood as she looked aimlessly through the car's rear window. The weather outside didn't warrant it though; the sun was shining and the clouds were nowhere to be seen, yet the teenage girl was staring are world with a moody expression, as if it was hopelessly grey and raining heavily. Why did the teacher decide on a group assignment to do over the summer holiday, and why, oh why, did she have to do it with _Iridosmine_? It would've been great if she got to do it with her BFF Pewter, but alas, she got paired with Iridosmine, her archival. Iridosmine and her are undoubtedly the two prettiest girls in their class, and because of that, they can't get along, and it's a continuous struggle to be the best in all aspects. Shots are fired constantly, mainly by Iridosmine, whose arrogance and false disinterest only fuels the war, forcing Electrum to retaliate and show this nouveau riche girl that innate class and elegance is not something you can just buy. Sure her parents are famous scientists, but in the end, they're still commoners, while Electrum comes from a prestigious family, and she'll defend her status from any provocations. She sighed heavily as she continued to look at the world with dead eyes; the buildings came and went, many of them would've been interesting to look at, were she in a better mood. Bored, she turned to look at her mother Gold, who sat next to her on the back seat. The sight lifted her spirits substantially; her mother was reading an art brochure, while being so elegant and stately, with beautiful jewellery complimenting her delicate face and her shining blonde hair. Electrum stayed a few moments admiring her mother, which eventually felt the stare. 

"Something the matter, dearest?" asked Gold with a warm smile.

Electrum reddened, caught off-guard in her reverie "Uh? N-no nothing mother!"

"You look like have something on your mind." said Gold gently.

Electrum slumped, and looked away, since she didn't answer, Gold took a guess.

"Is it about this Iridosmine person?" Electrum nodded, so Gold continued "Why does she bother you so much?"

"Well it's...she's got this smug air about her, like she owns the world, I don't like it."

"Really? During the few times that I saw her, she looked gentle and kind."

"It's all a facade, mom." pouted Electrum.

"How can you tell?" 

"I see her, mom, she goes out of her way to wear classy dresses, and jewellery, she wants to be the centre of attention."

"Maybe she just wants to look good."

"No, I catch the looks she gives me, she tries to play it cool, but she always observes my reaction. On top of that, she was dressing quite discreetly in the beginning, but it became gradually fancier over time; She’s a real beauty so she was used to the attention, but now that I'm here, I'm a threat to her, so she tries to outplay me with fancy clothes."

Electrum stopped, out of breath. Gold gave her daughter's words some thought before replying "Well, even if that is true, a proper lady should always keep a level head and not make a fuss or be an inconvenience, right dearest?"

Electrum received these words as if they were sacred commandments "Yes mother!"

"Very good." said Gold while affectionately patting Electrum's head. 

After this brief exchange, Electrum seemed transformed. Her mother had that power over her; Electrum would always listen to Gold, especially if it's about being a 'proper lady'. Electrum has always been much closer to Gold than she was to Silver; Gold is her main role model in everything and she takes her words as gospel. After a few minutes of silence, they arrived at Iridium and Osmium's place; it was in an apartment building made out of red bricks, rather plain but very well-kept. The chauffeur opened the rear door, allowing Electrum to get out of the opulent town car, followed by Gold and the two of them went inside and made their way upstairs. They eventually stopped in front of a door, rang the bell and a few moments later, the door opened revealing a teenage girl. She was the same age as Electrum, she had pale skin and shiny silvery hair, with blue-tinged strands, arranged in twin tails. She was wearing a fancy-looking blouse and long shirt, along with slippers and small glasses. Electrum internally rolled her eyes at what she considered to be an unnecessary casual outfit, she was however forgetting that she was wearing a gold-coloured dress with many silvery decorations herself, but her fixation on Iridosmine's 'antagonism' has been her default attitude lately.

"Oh hello Mrs. Gold! hello Electrum!"

"Hello Iridosmine" said Gold "are your parents here?"

"No, they had something to do with Palladium, so I'm the only one here today."

"All right, well, I'll be entrusting Electrum to you today." Electrum kept a straight face, but she was cringing inside. 

Gold and Iridosmine exchanged goodbyes, and Gold went back to her gigantic car, and drove away - or rather, was driven away. And so Electrum was left with Iridosmine, she kept a neutral face and attitude in front of her, while Iridosmine was being very helpful and always kept asking Electrum if she needed anything. She was also speaking quickly, and seemed slightly nervous, _you must be trying to impress me by showing off your hospitality, typical Iridos stuff; showing people you're better than them_ thought Electrum, as they made their way towards Iridosmine's room. The place was very large for apartment standards, but for Electrum, it looked slightly smaller than her mansion's ballroom. The decoration was mostly white and black with some dash of colours here and there, and very streamlined. It was quite a nice place to be though, very clean and tidy, but Electrum found it very featureless. Iridosmine's room was much the same story, only with more colour, and quite spacious too. As Electrum watched Iridosmine organize the studying spot, she thought that Iridosmine's clothes really did't match her own room. Iridosmine's clothes were ornamented and fancy, while her room was simple and Bauhaus, and now that Electrum remembered, the Iridosmine that she initially met would've fit perfectly. _You're trying way too hard, Iridos_ Electrum chastised in her thoughts, as she walked over to the desk now suitable for team work.

They immediately set to work, as Electrum didn't want to start chatting just yet. The atmosphere was mostly laid-back but some tension could be felt, especially from Iridosmine. She had an overzealous behaviour and shifty eyes that were suspicious to say the least. It was obvious that she was observing Electrum and judging her acts and words. _What are you planning Iridos?_ Electrum kept thinking the entire time, but she mainly concentrated on the task at hand, if Iridosmine was planning something it'll eventually come up sooner or later. Eventually, after an hour and a half of productive work, Iridosmine called for a break.

"Good job Electrum!" said Iridosmine enthusiastically.

"You too, Iridosmine." Electrum's neutral yet slightly approving expression was perfectly fabricated, Electrum has always been serious about proper etiquette.

Iridosmine shifted a bit, looking uneasy "I'm going to make some tea, you can have a look in the room if you want."

"Alright."

 _That was an escape, if I ever saw one_ thought Electrum. Iridosmine was clearly up to something, and judging by her attitude, she's over conscious about it. What was she scheming? Iridosmine always seemed quite shifty, but now it was really obvious. Electrum stood up, and took a good look of the room; it was lavishly equipped, but not lavishly decorated, the shelf revealed a collection of comic books - mainly sci-fi by the looks of it - movies, and games. All that was a bit too pop culture for Electrum's taste, and again, fit the former Iridosmine much more than the current one. While she was thinking this, she found herself in front of a big white wardrobe; she hesitated, but opened it anyway. Yup, more proof that Iridosmine is trying hard to out-style her; nearly all the clothes here are discreet if not plain, exactly how she dressed in the beginning, but now she was playing on Electrum's territory. Electrum left the wardrobe and went back to contemplating the shelf while waiting for Iridosmine. A few moments later Iridosmine came back carrying a tray with the tea and some biscuits. They had a peaceful tea time while discussing various points about their assignment, until Electrum diverted the conversation to the delicious tea.

"This tea is really good" said Electrum approvingly.

"It is, isn't it? It's Palladium who offered it to us, she's quite knowledgeable about that."

"You're an acquaintance of Palladium?"

"She's was my mothers' pupil, and she's now my mentor, do you know her?"

"Not really, but my mother has business ties with her."

"It's Silver, right?"

"Yes."

"You have a very prestigious family, Electrum" Iridosmine sounded impressed "you're also as dashing as your mother Gold."

"Why thank you, mother Gold is my role model." Electrum couldn't hide her pride.

"Well you definitely took after her, especially your clothes, they're beautiful."

Ah there it was. Electrum was tempted to let Iridosmine continue, but her impatience took the better of her.

"That's why you wanted to copy me? With these fancy clothes that don't suit you?"

Iridosmine was shocked "What?"

"Don't play dumb Iridosmine, you weren't like this when we started high school, you were dressing much more discreetly, and then you started to wear all these fancy dresses, for what else if not trying compete with me?"

"What? Why would you assume that? Why can't I dress as I want?"

"You can dress as you want, but don't pretend you're not rubbing it in my face."

"What? And I have?"

"Yes, you did!"

"How?"

"You think I'm blind Iridosmine? I catch the glances you give me, and when I don't, Pewter does. You're always comparing yourself to me, aren't you?"

Caught red-handed, Iridosmine's face took several shades of red immediately "I-um..."

"See? I've seen through your bullshit, you went out of your way to change and be like me, so don't you pretend you're all pure and innocent!"

Iridosmine was so embarrassed that she tried to hide behind her hands, which only incensed Electrum some more. Electrum snatched Iridosmine's hands away from her face, only to freeze, suddenly conscious of what she did. Iridosmine's was furiously blushing and, exposed to Electrum's inquisitive stare, turned to look away, trying to escape Electrum's eyes.

"I-it's not..."

"It's not WHAT?"

"I...hum" it took a few tries but Iridosmine eventually managed to speak her mind "I'm not comparing myself to you."

"Oh really ?" said Electrum sardonically "why did you imitate me then? Let's hear it."

"I...I thought you were very beautiful and stylish, so I wanted to impress you. I tried to dressed like you so you would notice me." Iridosmine's voice was barely a mumble and Electrum was still holding her hands hostage. Electrum herself was a bit taken aback, it's not what she was expecting to hear, but she won't be giving up now that she's got Iridosmine cornered. 

"Nonsense!" said Electrum loudly "you were always in a competition with me, sporting the exact same style as me and almost never talked to me, what kind of person seeks attention without actually approaching people?"

"I was too shy for..."

"And what's with copying me anyway? Couldn't you choose any other style?"

"That's because it was your style, and since it's your style, it means you like it. So I dressed like you so you would recognize this style, in order to get your attention." Iridosmine was tearing up, and Electrum was shocked.

"What? Why?"

"Because I wanted you to look at me, I wanted to be someone you could share interests with, I know I went out of my way in the process, but I never wanted to antagonize you, I..." Iridosmine couldn't continue and just kept looking away from Electrum, Electrum's hands still constricting hers. 

There was silence for a long time, Iridosmine stayed still, tears of emotion silently running down her bring red cheeks, and Electrum was frozen solid, her eyes wide open. Her mental representation of Iridosmine, her assumptions, and guesses, all of it was crumbling. Her hypothesis and certitudes alike were shattered, and for the first time, Electrum was being faced with the fact that her assumptions took the better of her, and caused her to completely misjudge what was going on. She was so deep into her high society thinking, always thinking about status, image and etiquette, that she directly assumed that it was what was at stake here. She automatically assumed Iridosmine was just like her, and never thought otherwise until just now, when Iridosmine basically confessed to her. 

"You...um, do I impress you that much?" said Electrum to break the uneasy silence.

Iridosmine nodded but didn't respond. 

"Wow, okay...I...thought you were trying to challenge me."

"Challenge you? What for?"

"Well, I...I dunno"

"You're quite strange Electrum, you know? Plus we barely even talk, why would you assume that I wanted to challenge you?"

"Well, I kept watching you, and I noticed the change in style, so I just kept thinking about why you would do that. You were becoming a cheap knock-off of me when your former style was so fitting, I thought it was a waste and..." Electrum suddenly stopped, realizing what she just said, and a glance at Iridosmine confirmed that she didn't miss it either.

"What? You kept thinking about me?" Iridosmine immediately asked.

"I...um, well-"

"You did say that, didn't you?" Iridosmine put her face inches from Electrum's.

"Well I technically said that, but-"

"So maybe, you like me, as well?"

"Who said I do? Plus I already have someone I like and-"

"And yet you say you keep thinking about me?"

Electrum felt the anger rising "Yeah, because you piss me off!"

"How?"

"By...you know, trying to be something you're not when being your own person is what's interesting."

"So you say that I'm interesting?"

"N-NO! Stop twisting my words I-"

"And besides, Sodium has always dressed in a similar fashion to you, so why did you not consider her a rival as well?"

"She does?"

"You see? You don't give a damn about Sodium who's much closer to your status than I, yet somehow you're noticing everything I do!"

Electrum was becoming redder as she couldn't manage to deflect Iridosmine's attacks. With seemingly nowhere to go, panic took over.

"I'm leaving!" she said while standing up.

"What? And the assignment?"

"Another time!" Electrum said while gathering her things.

"C'mon Electrum I didn't want to upset you I-"

"Well even if you didn't want to, you sure did a great job at it!"

Electrum was now walking quickly towards the entrance while Iridosmine was on her heels, still trying to convince her to stay. At the door, Electrum stopped and turned to look at Iridosmine, who took the opportunity to tackle Electrum against the door. Electrum got paralysed by surprise and the sight of Iridosmine's face, inches from hers, made her incapable to react. Iridosmine was blushing and panting; she was locking Electrum arms with her hands and was intensely staring at Electrum. Electrum was mesmerized by Iridosmine's beauty and momentarily couldn't think, she did however notice Iridosmine slowly leaning in for a kiss but did nothing to try and stop her. The kiss would've surely happen if Iridosmine hadn't hesitated, allowing Electrum's consciousness to finally emerge and make her escape Iridosmine's hold, who opposed no resistance.

Electrum stormed out of the apartment building, and hailed a cab home. Her cheeks were burning, and she completely lost her bearings. Damn Iridosmine, how did she manage to make her lost all of her composure? She had her cornered, she made her spit it out, only for the situation to be reversed...What a devil this Iridosmine, and what were these assumptions all about? As if she even thinks about her, especially now that she ditched her elegant former clothes for this mess of a style, what a waste! She was incredibly pretty and classy back then, with her mostly white style complementing her beautiful face and lustrous hair very well and...Wait-why was she thinking about Iridosmine again? She's not attracted to her, no way! No damn way! She's gunning for Steel and Iridosmine is nothing but an attention seeking inconvenience...A quite beautiful and cute when embarrassed inconvenience and...Electrum cursed herself as she couldn't seem to get Iridosmine out of her head, and closing her eyes only made it worse as she kept having the mental image of Iridosmine with those red cheeks and intense eyes. Her brain was betraying her and kept replaying the scene in her head, like that cursed Tripledent gum commercial that she can't get rid of. DAMN HER!

As Electrum spent the rest of the day on edge, constantly thinking about what happened earlier, Iridosmine was much more calm and collected. Things didn't really go as planned and she's genuinely bewildered at how Electrum interpreted her attempt at catching her attention. Electrum is a strange girl, but it added to her charm, and after what happened today, Iridosmine's determination only got bigger. Electrum can brag about Steel all she wants, but she wouldn't have reacted like she did if she truly felt nothing for Iridosmine. It won't be easy, maybe Palladium will have some advice for her on how to handle it, she'll have to consult her. In any case, Iridosmine found the opening in Electrum's defences; it was time to go for it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a note about Gold's car (because I'm a junkie petrolhead), 'Town car' doesn't refer to the Lincoln Town car sedan, but to an old-fashioned automotive body type (also known as 'coupé de ville') with an open driver position and an enclosed passenger area. Being an aristocrat, Gold owns various opulent cars, and the one featured here is a Bugatti type 41 coupé Napoleon.


	2. All is full of love

Electrum was finally free of her student council tasks. I took way longer than expected and the sun was beginning to set, so she wondered if Pewter would’ve waited for her like she usually does. It usually never took this long to finish, tough, so she hoped Pewter didn’t wait for her. She hated the thought of Pewter waiting alone in the classroom, but she could totally see Pewter doing it; she’s still somewhat innocent and naïve, after all. A bit of a child…unlike herself, who’s already experienced with life, and especially love.

She sighed happily at that thought; reminiscing Steel’s pretty face; her delicate features, that magnificent silvery hair, with cute blue-tinged strands and…Wait a minute, Steel doesn’t have blue-tinged strands, and why was her hair long in twin tails? Steel wears it in a short ponytail. She doesn’t wear glasses either; the one who does is…Iridosmine! Why is that damn girl appearing in her mind instead of Steel? She loves Steel, and there's no room for that gaudy attention-seeker! Electrum kicked herself mentally but soon stopped, realizing that she was flailing around in the middle of the corridor. Embarrassed but glad that nobody saw her, she quickly made her way towards her classroom, thinking about Pewter this time; hopefully, Iridosmine wouldn’t creep in again.

As she approached the classroom door, she heard voices inside and instinctively started to move more discreetly. She crept up to the door but couldn’t tell what the persons inside were talking about, although she did recognize that one of them was Pewter. Electrum had a peek inside and what she saw kept her speechless.

The classroom was shrouded in the orange light of dusk, and Pewter was seated at her desk. On the other side of it, a girl with very shiny, short curly hair was standing. It took some moments for Electrum to figure out who this was, but then it hit her: Ytterbium, from some other class. Electrum’s attention went back to Pewter and saw on her friend's face an expression she never knew she could make; she had dreamy eyes, an adult-like confidence, and was gazing up at Ytterbium who had the same sort of expression.

Ytterbium was playing with Pewter’s, she then leant and landed a soft kiss on Pewter‘s lips, Pewter closed her eyes and returned it quietly, lifting her hand to caress Ytterbium’s cheek. Pewter and Ytterbium kept on kissing and caressing each other’s face; when Pewter’s hand reached Ytterbium’s breasts; Electrum snapped out of it and quietly ran away from this unbearably romantic scene.

Her mind was racing; what happened to the innocent Pewter she knew? Maybe she was so deluded about her supposed maturity that she completely missed Pewter growing up alongside her, falling in love as well…and being actually much more grown up about love than her. What did she even accomplish about love? Obsessing over Steel and being troubled about Iridosmine? More than her preconceptions about Pewter, it was her preconceptions about herself that were crumbling.

She opened up her phone to text Pewter;

_It’s not going to finish anytime soon, so you can go home if you’re still waiting._


End file.
